Old Town Club
Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina · Piedmont Triad golf market
- Access
- invitation only
- Holes
- 18
- Architect(s)
- Perry Maxwell, Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw (2013 restoration)
Thinking About Living in Old Town Club?
Get connected with a local real-estate specialist who understands Old Town Club and the surrounding Piedmont Triad golf market.
Old Town Club is a private club in Winston-Salem founded in 1939, built on what was previously the R.J. Reynolds family's Reynolda horse farm. Perry Maxwell — fresh off his celebrated work at Prairie Dunes and Southern Hills — designed the original 18-hole course on a hilly, walkable 165-acre parcel the family carved from the larger 1,003-acre estate, and the result is now regarded as one of the most fully realized surviving examples of Maxwell's design work, reportedly including one of his only surviving double greens.
The course's reputation has only grown with time. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw restored the layout in 2013, carefully preserving Maxwell's original design intent rather than modernizing it away, and the restoration is widely credited with the course's continued climb in national and world rankings. As of the 2025–2026 GOLF Magazine Top 100 Courses in the World rankings, Old Town Club sits at No. 80 — a genuinely elite global ranking and among the strongest credentials of any club researched in the Piedmont Triad.
Membership is private and invitation-based, with no residential development or bundled community attached — Old Town Club is a freestanding urban private club inside Winston-Salem's established fabric rather than the centerpiece of a subdivision. The course also does double duty as Wake Forest University's home golf course, giving the Demon Deacons a genuine home-field advantage on Maxwell's undulating greens that few visiting programs are used to playing. For a golf-oriented buyer in Winston-Salem, Old Town Club represents the market's most nationally significant golf credential, even though it confers no residential access advantage to any specific neighborhood.
Golf & Course
Perry Maxwell built Old Town Club's 18-hole course in 1939 on a 165-acre parcel of the former Reynolda estate, choosing hilly but walkable terrain from the 1,003 acres available. The course is considered one of the last great expressions of Golden Age golf architecture and, following the 2013 Coore & Crenshaw restoration, is now regarded by many architecture critics as the most fully realized surviving example of Maxwell's design philosophy — large, boldly contoured greens, wide fairways, and a reported double green thought to be unique among Maxwell's surviving work. The course has climbed steadily in GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the World rankings since the restoration, reaching No. 80 in the 2025–2026 rankings, voted on by 126 panelists from 16 nations.
Membership & Access
Does buying a home here include club membership?
Old Town Club is private and invitation-based; there is no public play and no residential community bundled to membership. Homeownership anywhere in Winston-Salem, including neighborhoods near the club, does not include, require, or grant preferential access to membership — this session found no evidence of any developer or HOA relationship tying a specific residential community to the club, and buyers should not assume one exists based on proximity alone. Current initiation fees, dues, and the specifics of the invitation/sponsorship process were not published anywhere this session found.
Location & Surrounding Area
Old Town Club sits inside Winston-Salem's established urban fabric in Forsyth County, part of the Piedmont Triad market alongside Greensboro and High Point. It also serves as the home course for Wake Forest University's golf teams, adding a collegiate-golf dimension to its identity beyond the private membership itself.
Interested in Homes in Old Town Club?
We can connect you with a local real-estate specialist who knows the community, nearby golf communities, and the Piedmont Triad market.
What Buyers Should Verify
- Confirm current initiation fee, dues, and membership categories directly with the club -- no published figures found this session.
Notable
- Ranked No. 80 in GOLF Magazine's 2025-2026 Top 100 Courses in the World.
- Perry Maxwell design (1939) on the former R.J. Reynolds 'Reynolda' estate; restored by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2013.
- Hosted the LPGA Babe Zaharias Open in 1957 and 1958; serves as Wake Forest University's home golf course.
Considering a Move to Old Town Club?
Whether you're comparing Old Town Club with another Piedmont Triad golf community or you're ready to start looking at homes, US Golf Living can connect you with a local real-estate specialist.
US Golf Living provides independent real-estate research and can connect consumers with real-estate professionals. Golf membership, availability, fees and approval are determined independently by the applicable club.